Premium vs. Regular on Hybrid?

[pinchepunx]

I believe the manual says use 87 or higher on the Camry Hybrid but I drive a lot and I am wondering what will be best for my car in the long run? Should I use regular or premium? Or, does it not make a difference on the hybrid?

Thanks!!!

[Zembonez]

Running premium in any engine that does not require it is a waste of the extra money spent. Higher octane fuel exists only because it burns slower and reduces knock in higher compression engines. It is not a more powerful fuel.

[pinchepunx]

I am not really concerned with power, just what is better for my car in the long run. My Lexus RX300 with 184k on it doesn't like regular. I have read that premium is better for higher mileage cars as well because it helps keep the engine cleaner. But, I am not a mechanic so I wouldn't know how true that is. And this being a Hybrid I wonder how different it is.

[Zembonez]

Hybrid or not, the basic gasoline engine is just that. Premium fuel does not make anything cleaner, but there are engines designed to run on the higher octane. Running your engine on the minimum octane rating required is perfect for it and the preferred method of operation.

[ukrkoz]

premium petrol has higher octane rating.
otherwise, it is the same as the rest of petrol that particular company makes plus the rest of the stuff that particular tanker brought in along and the rest of the stuff gas station had in its tanks.
you will have the same composition for any tier gas otherwise per manufacturer. it is not Bear Wash with "better" additives.
to work on higher octane petrol, engine must have proper compression ratio and combustion chamber volume.
my experience with Japanese makes is, in general, that they do not like higher octane rating petrol, unless modified for it. surprisingly, they do the best on bare bone simple gas. which makes sense for Japanese philosophy, with its low income high prices automotive situation. domestics, on the other hand, are standarded by Chevron 87 petrol. or, better say, Chevron formulation. keep in mind, it is a CAPITALIST world. so any "suggestions" or "tips" are always geared towards you, the consumer, spending more $$..
hence, no, you will gain nothing by switching to Geico, sorry, to premium petrol.
what you do want to do is simple "McDonalds" approach. there's reason Big mac costs what it costs. there's same reason - cost efficiency for manufacturer - why Arco or AM/PM costs what it costs.
hence:
1. stay away from CHEAP gas
2. stay away from old gas stations. tanks are dirty
3. stay away from fueling early am, as statistically that's when most petrol deliveries are done, and junk is stirred up into petrol
4. see tanker filling up gas station - go place else
5. stick with known quality petrols with surfactants, or cleaners: Chevron, Texaco, Shell, Exxon (actually, my CR-V aced on Exxon). i might recommend 76, but they have tendency to own old gas stations around here, so i am hesitant on this. clubs, like Sam's or Costco are probably not a bad solution
6. REGULARLY PRIME YOUR FUEL SYSTEM WITH A KNOWN GOOD CLEANER. once a year maybe. i can recommend only Seafoam and g'ol Studebaker product - STP. STP is sold in packs of 3, inexpensive, i simply do 3 tankfuls with 3 bottles used, if i find it on dirt cheap sale. like $1.20 3pack.
7. switch to quality synthetic oil. QUALITY. not blends or that Walmart stuff... Supertech or something.
i can recommend RoyalPurple, and definitely Amsoil. mof, i have all of my vehicles, except my son's oil taking Eclipse, converted to Amsoil and am very pleased with it. yes, it sounds expensive, but you always get what you paid for. my oil change costs me $80 plus on my Silverado, DIY, but i change oil once in 12-15 000 miles as a result. this is, actually, more cost efficient than even 5 000 miles oil changes with regular oils.

[ukrkoz]

btw:

Octane rating does not relate to the energy content of the fuel (see heating value). It is only a measure of the fuel's tendency to burn in a controlled manner, rather than exploding in an uncontrolled manner. Where the octane number is raised by blending in ethanol, energy content per volume is reduced.


A fuel with a higher octane rating can be run at a higher compression ratio without causing detonation. Compression is directly related to power and to thermodynamic efficiency, so engines that require higher octane usually deliver more motive power and do more work for a given BTU or calorie of fuel. Engine power is a function of the fuel, as well as the engine design, and is related to octane rating of the fuel. Power is limited by the maximum amount of fuel-air mixture that can be forced into the combustion chamber. When the throttle is partially open, only a small fraction of the total available power is produced because the manifold is operating at pressures far below atmospheric. In this case, the octane requirement is far lower than when the throttle is opened fully and the manifold pressure increases to atmospheric pressure, or higher in the case of supercharged or turbocharged engines.

Many high-performance engines are designed to operate with a high maximum compression, and thus demand high-octane premium gasoline. A common misconception is that power output or fuel mileage can be improved by burning higher octane fuel than specified by the engine manufacturer. The power output of an engine depends in part on the energy density of its fuel, but similar fuels with different octane ratings have similar density. Because switching to a higher octane fuel does not add more hydrocarbon content or oxygen, the engine cannot produce more power. and if engine can not produce more power - using higher octane petrol simply makes your mpg cost go up.

[GvilleTCH]

I don't buy cheap beer even though the effect of the % alcohol is the same. Buy what you can afford. I get better mileage and performance from using 93 octane Top-Tier gasoline in my TCH over my commute using my driving style- variable timing maybe ?

Kinda of like asking what brand and weight oil is best. We all have our opinions backed by our own facts. IMHO - premium is better gas and since I work for a living I chose to waste my money as I feel fit...

[Joe B]

I use Shell 89.

[Warminwisco]

I run premo in my 04 LS430 but do not notice a difference when I run reg octane. Having said that I got like almost 2 mpg's better running premo in my 98 accord. I do not really notice the difference in this big v8 which surprisingly get 23-24 when my old 98 accord got 28 or so. Love the LS if you want to drive a nice car take er for a test drive.

[2011CamryHybrid]

What about gasoline with ethanol (e.g. "E10"), any harmful effects on TCH's ICE?

[crkohl]

None so far with my '08 TCH after 80K miles.